Square Enix Announces Changes to Board of DirectorsA handful of well known developers have been added.03.06.18 - 12:36 AM

Square Enix released a press statement last week detailing changes to the Board of Directors. As is the case with every major business, changes to a board are necessary and normal, and hopefully bring about a fresh perspective on a company's going ons.

The following are a list of Executive Officers at Square Enix that have been appointed to the Board of Directors: Yoshinori Kitase (producer of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Mobius Final Fantasy Producer), Naoki Yoshida (Producer and Director of Final Fantasy XIV and a fan favorite designer), Yosuke Saito (Producer on the Dragon Quest series and Nier Automata), Shinji Hashimoto (Brand manager for Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts), Michihiro Sasaki, Hirokazu Nishikado, Yu Miyake, and Kazuharu Watanabe. In addition, Hideaki Sato and Motoharu Mitamura have been made Executive Officers. Yosuke Matsuda will remain in his role as President and Chief Executive Officer while Executive Vice President Keiji Honda and Yukinobu Chida, a long term member of the board , have decided to retire as of March 31st. All of the new positions will come into effect on April 1st.

In 2015 Square Enix introduced its current system based on Executive Officers as a way to better respond to the ever changing business environment around gaming. According to Square Enix, the most recent changes to the board are in line with the ongoing effort to constantly adapt to the changes of the current business environment. There was more jargon, but the gist is: changes happen because change is inevitable (and often healthy!). What is important is that a slew of executives responsible for much of Square's recent artistic and financial successes have been given greater responsibility. Usually, that is a wise move, but as always, time will tell.